firemn131

Howdy all. Start building on new house in a few weeks. trying to figure out what 2 car lift has shown to be the best fit for a 928 and a 968.
Standard 2 car garage. 20x 22. total ceiling height is 9'9. with 8ft. to bottom of garage door track. if I need to I will change out doors to a roll up, or get the tracks to ride closer to the ceiling.

It is not needed, but I will try to have extra footers poured at the base plate locations.
I guess the main question is how far back from the garage door opening does it need to be anchored to give me enough clearance to have one car on the lift and another under, without hitting the roof with garage door.

But, I am looking for any and all experiences with lift installations, styles, and types..

thnx

John

77tony

Went with a 4post. Just drive on. Great for alignments, etc and do not have to crawl around on the ground setting the lift points. Can always jack up any corner with a cheap bottle jack if needed. Have taken the anchor bolts off since this picture. Distributor says it works best without. Lift can be moved around a bit with casters that came with.02 T

hacker-pschorr

You really need to pick out your lift first before answering your questions, some sit further forward than others depending on the orientation of the arms.

Also, with less than 11' you will either need to go with a base plate lift where the cables run under the car and you drive over a metal plate, or do what I'm doing. My lift posts will go up into the attic.

Since this is new construction, I would plan on having the garage door hug the ceiling and install a jack-shaft opener. Liftmaster makes one for residential now:

http://www.liftmaster.com/lmcv2/prod...-door-openers/

george928

Not to hijack this thread but 77tony, your cars are gorgeous!!

andy-gts

I HAVe a 2 post and love this thing….awesome for everything except storing a car on the lift….

some times I WISH I had a 4 post but not very often….,, it lifts to 6 feet 2 inches and had my dodge truck on it …I think it has 10000 lb limit…

I VOTE FOR 2 POST , but I Don't park where the lift is . only for service bay…. if I was going to park there also , I Would opt for a 4 post and always drive up on it …..like TONY

firemn131

One of my main goals is to be able to park under it.

76FJ55

For parking the 4 post will be more convenient. You won't have to re position the arms every time you take the top car in or out. There is typically accommodations to fit a drip tray between the tracks to catch anything before it falls on the car below (oil, coolant, trans fluid, condensate from A/C...). Will also provide more room for opening doors...

For wrenching though the 2 post will probably be more convenient. Take the weight off the tire which will allow for brake, suspension and hub service...

You need to decide if the functionality or convenience is more important.

Chalkboss

You should look at clearance requirements for two and four post lifts. I have a two post direct lift symmetric arms. Ten ft top plate, scissor trusses and roll up door. 16 wide by 24 deep. The installer remarked he had never seen a better single car garage for that lift... told him it was because I designed the garage for the lift!

hacker-pschorr

The people I know with 2-post lifts park under them all the time, no problem. Not sure what the hangup is others are referring to.

Bmw635

There's a 4 post lift that has casters so you can move/reposition the 4post wherever. There are accessories that glide on the 2 rails in between the track for undercarriage lift so you can lift the car off the lift to remove the wheels, brake works. There are other accessories that glide on these tracks also, just don't remember brand. Only problem is ceiling height clearance, that's why I didn't get it in my house.

77tony

4post lifts come with easy in & out trays to prevent the vehicle up top from leaking onto the vehicle below. If ceiling height is limited, you can set the stop position that works. Can also opt for the sliding tray(s) with jack(s) for trans work, etc. I mounted a slightly tilted mirror on wall up high in front of lift. This way the vehicle can be driven up onto lift without worry. Always felt there is an added amount of safety with a 4post vs the 2 post.02 T

dr bob

As much as I love the working convenience of the two post asymetric lifts, I would never consider one for extended storage duty. Around here the ground moves too much. I was in NC a few years ago when a pretty good-sized earthquake rattled the OP's neighborhood nicely. I felt it down near the SC border, so I think it's safe to say that Maryland folks felt it a lot more. Bottom line is that storage demands a 4-post lift in these earthquake-prone areas.

Eplebnista

I have a two post lift and use it for storage. I park my dd, a Passat wagon, under my 928. It did not take me long to become adept at spotting the 928 just where it needed to be and more often than not, I can place the arms with my feet. I don't recall ever having to get down on the floor to place the arms.

I cannot say that my 928 has never dripped a fluid on my Passat. I can say that my response has been to fix the leak.

For me, the biggest issue with my lift's arm design is their length. Compared to what the designer of the lift envisioned, the 928 has a relatively short wheelbase. There is about an 8 inch spotting zone where the arms will actually swing past the tires. Largely negates the "asymmetric" aspect of the lift.

If you go two post (and I would if space allows), your wheels and tires will hang down quite a bit. When "She Who Must Be Obeyed" needs to put her pickup under my 928, the cab fits under the drooping tires only if I put the spacers that came with the lift between the lift's pads and the arms. Your present concept involves a relatively low ceiling, so this "tire droop" is something you need to figure. I will try to follow up with some pictures and measurements later today.

For me, any inclination toward buying a four post went out the window when I found that front and rear sliding jacks for four post lifts add about $1000 to the cost of the lift.

If you are buying a lift to park the car in the air, get a four post. If you are buying a lift to work on your car, a two post is the only choice. I have not experienced a nanosecond of regret over choosing a two post lift.

Bmw635

Saw a 928 parked on this while another car parked below in a 1.5 car length garage.

Bilal928S4

If you use a two post lift for 928 storage and the suspension droops, just remember you have to drive for an extended (60+ miles) distance before the suspension settles to factory specs.